Bhubaneswar: After an administrative shake-up following the Saradhabali stampede, the Odisha government on Sunday appointed Saswata Mishra, a 1996-batch IAS officer, as principal secretary to Chief Minister Mohan Majhi.
This post had remained vacant since May 2 when Nikunja Bihari Dhal was relieved from the state government after being posted as the officer on special duty in the Parliamentary Affairs Ministry by the Appointments Committee of the Union Cabinet.
Mishra is currently serving as Principal Secretary, Finance Department, with additional charge of Chairman, Idco. He will continue to hold these posts along with his new assignment, a notification issued by the General Administration department said.
Earlier in the day, the government appointed IAS officer Aravind Agrawal, a former Puri collector, as overall in-charge of Rath Yatra, and IPS officer Soumendra Priyadarshi, who previously served as the Police Commissioner of the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Commissionerate, as overall in-charge of police arrangements in the pilgrim town during the festival, to restore public trust and ensure smooth conduct of the remaining rituals, including Adapa Bije, Bahuda, and Suna Besha.
Also Read: Saradhabali Stampede: Puri Collector & SP Removed; Rs 25L Ex-Gratia For Deceased Devotees
Similarly, Pinak Mishra, who previously served as Puri SP, was reassigned the responsibility with Khurda Collector Chanchal Rana shifted to Puri. They replaced Vinit Agrawal and Siddharth Shankar Swain respectively, who have been transferred to the General Administration department and State Police Headquarters as OSD.
These transfers and postings along with suspension of DCP Vishnu Pati and Commandant Ajay Padhi followed the loss of three lives in a stampede at Saradhabali near Shree Gundicha Temple early this morning.
Also Read: Odisha CM Calls Saradhabali Stampede ‘Unforgivable Negligence’, Apologises To Jagannath Devotees
Besides fixing accountability, the government seems to has brought back officers with previous experience of the festival’s logistical and cultural complexities to prevent any recurrence of the incidents, having been accused of gross mismanagement since the beginning of Rath Yatra on June 27.
Puri, Odisha: Collector Chanchal Rana reviews the arrangements at the chariots near Shree Gundicha Temple before the commencement of the Adap Mandap Bije of Mahaprabhu. The deities will be taken into the Gundicha Temple’s Adap Mandap in a ceremonial procession from the chariots pic.twitter.com/u8Bi8Z08tJ
— IANS (@ians_india) June 29, 2025
Soon, Collector Chanchal Rana and SP Pinak Mishra were seen reviewing the arrangements at the chariots near Shree Gundicha Temple along with Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Chief Administrator Arabinda Padhee before the commencement of the Adap Mandap Bije of Mahaprabhu. The deities will be taken into the Gundicha Temple’s Adap Mandap in a ceremonial procession from the chariots.